Crawling Shadows
by ipcryss
Summary: Not all prisoners are guilty of a crime, and not every prisoner wishes for escape. Something old and twisted has sunk it's claws into Marco. Every moment it pulls him farther into the darkness. Will Star and the others be able to rescue him? Or will he be trapped in the shadows, never to be free?
1. Uninvited Guests

Disclaimer: Unless stated otherwise, I own none of the intellectual properties used in this story.

Chapter One: Uninvited Guests.

"Tell me, child. Do you think you're the hero of this story?"

Marco stared at the man before him.

No.

Man wasn't the right word. Not for this… Thing. At first glance, it looked like a tall man. One that was unnaturally tall, with a grin too wide by half. It was thin, emaciated even, and pale as paper, giving off the appearance of skeleton with a layer of skin stretched over him. It wore a molted yellow silk cloak, though one sleeve was now stained with red, and it held something in its hand.

What was it holding?

It was strange, but Marco couldn't focus. He had trouble remembering what was going on and how he got here. A pain on the back of his head, and a warm wet feeling on the back of his neck were some pretty good clues. Higgs on the ground near the door was another.

What was it holding?

She was curled up in a ball, shaking for some reason. He could see tears. Was she crying? Why was she crying? Was it because of that creature?

What was it holding?

He could remember some piecemeal bits of how they got there. Something about a test for the squires, and an old temple. A shattering noise, a scream, and then that thing, just standing there in its yellow cloak.

What was it holding?

Pain wracked Marcos body. His legs were probably broken, and he couldn't feel his right arm while his left felt like it had been through a meat grinder. He tasted copper, and, other than that thing, everything he saw was blurry. He could smell a mixture of blood, and some sickly-sweet smell that he couldn't place. His ears were ringing, but he could hear the creature clearly. Too clearly.

"Sometimes the hero dies in the end. Do you think you're the hero, child?"

Every word echoed inside Marcos skull. Slowly the world faded away around him, and he was alone with the strange being.

What was it holding?

"Every story needs a hero, child."

The creature had odd eyes, like that of a cat, but wrong. The eyes were wrong for some reason. So was its voice, and itis stance, and its clothes, and its hands. Everything about it was just wrong. It was indescribable, but it was just wrong.

What was it holding?

"So, child. Are you the hero? Or is the hero someone else?" It glanced a Higgs for a moment, before shaking its head. "No. She's too weak."

It was at that point that Marco heard something other than the creature. It was a sound that he knew all too well. A sound that, in any other situation, would fill his heart with joy. A sound that invoked memories of countless adventures with the one who meant the most to him. It was a voice calling out for him. One that brought a torrent of questions to Marcos pain addled mind.

"Marco! Where are you?"

What was Star doing here? Why wasn't she in the castle? How did she get here so quickly? How did she know he was in trouble?

"Marco? Shout if you can hear me!"

Why was she here?

He wanted to call out to Star, to tell her to stay away. This thing was too dangerous for her. It was beyond anything they had faced before. He wanted to, but he couldn't. To call out to her would bring her closer to him, and closer to that thing.

The creature smiled its horrific grin.

Why was she here?

"Tell me child, are you the hero, or is she?"

It gestured towards the door where Stars voice was coming from with the thing in it's hand. It was long and slim and came to a point.

A spear?

No. It wasn't rigid enough to be a spear. It was too… organic. What was it? Why did Marco have such a problem identifying it? He knew what it was, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. But whatever it was didn't matter. Star was coming, and if she got here, she was going to face that thing.

Why was she here?

As he heard Star get closer, he looked at the grotesque entity before him. It grinned at him, it's expression one of a sort of sadistic glee, like a child laughing as it pulls the legs off a spider. He stared at the creature and summoned all his strength.

Why was she here?

He stared directly into its eyes, it's horrible, joy filled eyes, and wheezed out two words. Two simple words that would change everything. Two little words that would throw his entire existence into upheaval. Two horrible words.

"I am."

Authors Note: So, here's the first chapter of a new story. I hope it set the tone well. I'm going for a sort of mystery horror, and while I have an idea of what I'm going to do, not much is set in stone, so I would appreciate any feedback, criticism, or advice. I'll do my best to continue this story in the future, and I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for reading!


	2. Waking Up to a Nightmare

Chapter 2: Waking Up to a Nightmare

She watched him.

She watched him toss and turn in his sleep, moving around far more than someone would normally be able to with such a broken body, moaning in pain the entire time, but refusing to wake up. To Star, it was like something out of a nightmare, to see him like this, but it was all too real.

His bruised and battered body, his shattered bones…

His missing arm.

It was wrong. Everything was all wrong.

What was he even doing out there? Why was he with Higgs?

What did this to him?

Star wanted answers, but there was no one who could give them. Marco still hadn't woken up, Higgs was still just whimpering and crying, and the rest of the squires had fled the ruins when they heard the Higgs scream.

Apparently, Marco was the only one who ran towards the scream.

That was just like him. He couldn't turn away when someone was in trouble, even if he didn't like them. That's just the way he was, and Star couldn't help but admire that about him.

She just wished that it hadn't gotten him hurt like this.

Why did this happen to him?

Never in her life had Star felt so worried, so afraid. So… Powerless.

As she watched him thrash about, as if trying to fight some unseen enemy, seven words, seven horrible words echoed through the princess's head.

"I should have been there for him."

She was his best friend, she had introduced him into this world of magic and danger, and she made him her squire. She should have known what he was doing, and she shouldn't have let him go in there without her.

She should have been keeping an eye on him, but she was off elsewhere. She let this happen.

She let this happen.

He woke up.

He felt pain. His entire body was in pain. Marco felt like he was in a desert, during a sand storm, and ever grain of sand was a searing razor, cutting through his flesh, stripping it from his very bones. There was nothing but pain. He could feel his mind start to fade away. Just like how his flesh felt, his mind was slowly cut away, thought by thought, all lost to the pain.

He woke up.

He was falling in a void, or was he rising? He honestly couldn't tell. He was just there, in the void. He felt thousands of lifetimes pass him by in an instant, yet that instant dragged on for an eternity. He felt old, like he had spent he had his entire existence behind him, yet he was just beginning. Time lost all meaning.

He woke up.

He was standing alone in a dark room. Nothing but shadows as far as the eye could see. The air was filled with the sound of grinding and the gnashing of teeth. Thousands of claws and tendrils extended from the shadows. The pierced his flesh and pulled him apart. He was torn into thousands of pieces, each still alive. Each one still felt the pain.

He woke up.

He was standing in front of a mirror. The figure before had familiar brown eyes, brown skin, dark hair, and a small mole on his cheek. He saw himself. He saw a stranger. He saw himself, but he was a stranger. It was him, but it wasn't him. His right arm began to change. It turned into a long black tendril, vicious and familiar.

The tentacle had a mouth that smiled at him. It grinned, but then it's expression changed. Even with just a mouth, Marco could recognize its expression. Horror. He reached out and grabbed the tentacle through the mirror, and tore it off his reflection. What was left in the mirror wasn't human. It was a twisted parody, more horrible than he could describe. It looked directly at him, and smiled. Its smile had far too many teeth, and was far too familiar, but it wasn't his. The mirror shattered, and the shards fell, but the reflection remained untouched. It smiled at him, and he smiled back.

He woke up.

He was cold. His very blood felt like ice in his veins. He was in a wide expanse of endless white. In front of him, nothing but a white void. Behind him, there was a trail of footprints, with a trail of red on their right side. He blinked. The trail was gone, buried under the snow. He was alone. He heard a voice, twisted and foul. It welcomed him home.

He woke up.

He was back in the ruined temple. His head was bleeding, and the creature in front of him was holding his severed monster arm. Higgs was still just lying there, shivering. The creature called him a hero. It tore off his arm and asked if he was a hero. He said he was. Why did he say he was? Why would he tell that thing he was a hero? He remembers a voice. It was familiar. So familiar.

Star?

His dreams ended, and he woke up.

Authors Note: Well, it took a bit, but I hope the chapter was good. Hopefully this chapter gave some insight as to what's going on, and set the tone for how things will progress a bit. What needs to be revealed will be revealed in time. I have plans for what will happen, and the characters will have their parts to play, but for now, I just hoped you all enjoyed this. Please review with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thank you for reading!


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